“Ways of the Dreamer” - Lena Younes
Photo Credit: Artist EPK
Ways of the Dreamer, the debut album from Portugal-based artist and breathwork practitioner Lena Younes, feels like it was crafted for the soul. It’s not just an album; it’s a whispered conversation with grief, healing, and legacy. At its heart sits the powerful lead single, “Presence” — a gut-wrenching yet beautifully tender tribute to a mother lost and a grandmother never known.
Written just weeks after the unexpected death of her mother, “Presence” is one of those rare songs that feels like it was channeled more than composed. It’s soft, reverent, and drenched in feeling. But don’t expect grand, sweeping production — Lena’s style is intimate, grounded, and vulnerable, almost like you’re eavesdropping on a prayer or a personal journal entry sung aloud.
Lena sings of her daughter — a new life just beginning — and the grandmother she’ll never meet. But here’s where the song becomes quietly profound: it doesn’t dwell on absence. It celebrates connection beyond form, the way gestures, smiles, and energies ripple through generations, even when we think they’re gone.
Ways of the Dreamer has been six years in the making — born out of transformation, motherhood, and loss, with breathwork and yoga as part of the creative process. That alone should give you an idea of the vibe: think ambient folk with spiritual depth, or maybe “if Joni Mitchell and Nils Frahm collaborated in a meditation cave.” It’s deeply reflective music, made for slow mornings, sunset journaling, or just relaxing quietly on your couch.
“Pray” is a hymn for uncertain times. Sparse and graceful, it’s a sonic reminder that home is more than a place — it’s a feeling, a breath, a prayer.
“Ways of the Dreamer”, the title track, inspired by her newborn daughter’s wide-eyed wonder, taps into the awe and vulnerability of early motherhood. It feels like sunrise in song form.
“Human” is a painfully honest song that doesn’t flinch from fragility. This one’s for those days where just being a person feels like the heaviest thing.
“My Daughter” which was co-written with her father, hits differently. It’s a sweet, emotional full-circle moment about lineage, love, and what we pass down.
Lena recorded her vocals in her father’s wardrobe in Tavira, Portugal. And somehow, that choice makes all the sense in the world. The whole album is steeped in familial memory and deeply personal spaces.
Producer Sebastian Brice, working remotely from Frome, UK, lays down minimalist textures that never get in the way of Lena’s voice — instead, they float underneath it, offering subtle structure like breath beneath a mantra.
Lena isn’t stopping at just music. She’s crafting a book of poetry, lyrics, and reflections, tying in her work as a yoga and breathwork facilitator. This is storytelling for the mind and the body — a truly holistic approach to creativity that blurs the line between song and ceremony.
Lena Younes isn’t trying to be flashy, and she’s definitely not trying to be famous. What she is doing, though, is offering a safe space inside her music, a gently lit room where you can feel your feelings and remember the ones you’ve lost — without fear, without shame, with only love.
If you’ve ever lost someone, become someone’s parent, or felt like healing might be found in the stillness — Ways of the Dreamer will speak to you.
“Presence” is a song for the ancestors, for the daughters, and for anyone holding grief in one hand and love in the other.
Breathe deep, press play, and let it hold you.
“Ways of the Dreamer” is available now on all major streaming platforms
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Listen to Lena Younes and other similar artists on our Spotify Playlist ‘New Music Spotlight - Folk & Country’
